Roswell Conspiracies
Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends was an animated program, that originally aired in 1999 as part of BKN, the syndicated's cartoon programing block. The programming segment premiered in 1992. The show was part of BKN's drive to reinvent itself. The show's premise was that aliens had been living among humans for ages, and were the origins of many of the creatures humans know from myth, folklore and legends, including vampires and werewolves. Overview On the show, the Roswell UFO Incident which is part of a conspiracy theory (that many real life people still hold to this day) is portrayed as being a man made phenomenon. It was set up by humans to deflect popular attention from the truth. The unidentified flying object was a prop; the body of a little green or grey man was a dummy; the witnesses to the crash were plants; as were the Air Force investigators. In fact the whole shadow world surrounding Area 51 was nothing but a distraction from the fact that the aliens had landed long ago and there were known incidents of their desire to attack, assimilate and/or destroy the human race. These known incidents could be found in legend, myth and folklore of beings so strange and alien that they became the fabric of what human beings thought of when they thought of being frightened; vampires, werewolves, banshees, manitou, evil spirits...etc. As human beings progressed into the Industrial Age the attacks seemed to lessen, but recently they'd begun to go on the rise. The story begins as Nick Logan, a bounty hunter, gets tapped to hunt down what he thinks is a regular bounty, but things don't stay regular for long. When his next bounty turns out to be a very unusual girl, he soon finds himself involved in something both incredibly outrageous but also potentially satisfying. There are aliens among us and he can possibly play a part in helping to protect the earth. His new circumstances could also help him discover the truth behind his biological father's disappearance. Raised and trained by a stepfather in the know, Nick is one of a few human beings born with an innate sense of seeing through alien deceptions; most of the aliens can morph into human form at will. This ability gives him a unique advantage. In time he discovers his father and grandfather shared this advantage too. Nick ends up teaming with Sh'lainn Blaze, a rogue Banshee who wants to be the bridge that helps humans and her species co-exist on the planet together. The Banshee haven't fared well in an age of cold iron and Sh'lainn seems aware that they are plotting some form of 'final' solution. Together they become agents under James Rinaker the current Executive Officer of The Global Alliance, an international agency responsible for keeping the secret from the public and keeping the aliens in check by preventing the more aggressive and volatile ones from hunting human beings. Characters Main characters ; Nick Logan (Scott McNeil) : Former bounty hunter now newest Global Alliance Agent and part of the Detection Division. Logan's father, Walter, disappeared during an unexplained alien encounter at Roswell, New Mexico. Nick was raised by his stepfather never knowing at the time that his 'play time' was secret training to fight aliens. Nick is capable of seeing through alien illusions. ; Sh'lainn Blaze (Janyse Jaud) : A rebellious member of the Banshee clan, a race of aliens that landed in the British Isles around 527 BC. She, like her kind, possesses the ability to predict when someone will die. She can also levitate and emit energy streams. She's been targeted by Queen Mab. She becomes a new member of the Alliance and Nick's partner. ; James Rinaker (Alex Zahara): The head of the Global Alliance and the executive responsible for staging the Roswell Incident. Rinaker is committed to protecting humans from the aliens among them and to preserving the secrecy of the Alliance—at any cost. ; Jefferson Trueblood (Richard Newman): Sheriff of Roswell. He is the leader of the S.T.A.R. teams and Rinnaker's right hand man. He is very skillful in combat and in the use of weapons. Trueblood's father was one of the original members of the Global Alliance. Trueblood became the chief of his tribe following a Lycanthrope attempt to eradicate another alien race. ; Nema Perrera (Saffron Henderson) : Recruited from Egyptian National Security. She's a weapons specialist who is paired with Fitz in the Detail Unit. Very logical and practical but with enough of a sense of humor to play Fitz's straight man in their friendly snarking. ; Simon "Fitz" Fitzpatrick (Peter Kelamis) : An Ex-CIA agent with a wild imagination and the ability to convince anyone of anything. Fitz's assignment in the Detail Unit is to cover up any and all evidence of alien activity or the existence of the Alliance. Despite a job he's not fully trained for combat, he comes across as easy going and slightly goofy. Secondary characters ; Queen Mab (Saffron Henderson) : The leader of the Banshee Clan. Almost a counterpart to Rinaker, she's determined that her people should survive and thrive on Earth - even if it means sabotaging and retarding human innovation, for technology is poisonous to Banshees. Mab banishes Sh'Lainn from their clan for joining the Alliance, also branding her as a traitor and target. The conflict with the Alliance as well as bitterness for Sh'Lainn leads Mab to even summon Minotauri warriors - a technological race previously sealed by the Banshee - in order to kill Sh'lainn, but her efforts were thwarted by Nick. In the end, she forgives Sh'lainn and welcomes her back into the Banshee Sisterhood. First appearance: Episode 1 - The Bait (Part 1). ; Ti-Yet : A Guardian among the Yeti. He was responsible for the safety of his people and protecting their most valued possession from their sworn enemies. He eventually becomes integrated as an agent of the Alliance and becomes a great friend to Nick. First appearance: Episode 3 - Mountain Retreat. ; Ruck : The werewolf pack leader. Relentless, resourceful, and a cunning liar, he takes any opportunity to continue his people's war with the Yeti. His only family is his son Athos, with whom he doesn't get along well - because of Athos' appearance and ideology. Ruck is an enemy of the Alliance throughout the series, but ultimately became one of their greatest heroes as he died aiding the new Alliance against the Shadoen second invasion. First appearance: Episode 3 - Mountain Retreat. ; Athos : Orphaned by an Alliance anti-Lycanthrope action shortly after being born, he is secretly raised by Nick and Sh'lainn. Due to the Lycanthropes natural ability to simulate human appearance from visual information during childhood, Athos bears a striking resemblance to Nick, whom he imprinted on as a father-figure shortly after his birth. Having found out that Logan and Sh'lainn were keeping a Lycanthrope, the Alliance kidnaps Athos for study, thus leading to a brief conflict with Nick, resulting in Athos being returned to his real father, Ruck. Athos is one of the few Lycanthropes in the show that do not seek war, same as Kara, his late mother, who wished for him to join the Conduit. First appearance: Episode 18 - The Cub. ; Hanek (Dale Wilson) : Vampire Leader of a successful Vampire Family. He is calculating and extremely ambitious. He is blinded in one eye and receives a scar following an attempted coup by the Vampire, Valra. Hanek was killed while attempting to use the life energies of Banshee to power teleporters. His second-in-command subsequently took over. First appearance: Episode 7 - The Roswell Incident. Tertiary characters ; Kraker : A close friend of Nick and his informant from his days as a bounty hunter. A very skilled hacker, he is very useful as a source of non-Alliance tainted information. ; Walter Logan : Nick Logan's father and someone with insider knowledge of the Alliance. He was also the founder of the Conduit and wanted humankind to peacefully coexist with the other alien races. He was put into cryogenic stasis by the Shadoen posing as General Rinaker, and later freed by his son Nick. ;Su-Ak: Previously the leader/guardian of the Sasquatch, he was upstaged by Ti-Yet during a revolt on a Lycanthrope slave ship. He later betrayed Ti-Yet by releasing the lycanthropes in order to kill him, but ended up inadvertently killing the remaining members of the Sasquatch race. He blamed the Yeti for the tragedy, but ultimately realized that he had caused his people's deaths and committed suicide. Additional Alliance operatives * Keung Ling — A human agent within the Global Alliance whose thirst for power and attention leads to disaster * Dorian Wyrick — A former US marine and a close friend of Trueblood, he is a good soldier and a loyal agent to the Alliance. * Prof. Antonio Alascano — The section head among the scientists who develop the weapons, gadgets and vehicles used by the Alliance. * Dr. Marina Petrovic — The Alliance pathologist, an eccentric woman who has the task of eradicating alien viruses or find antidotes to vampires poisons. * Delfin Tabada — One of the most loyal men of Rinaker. Military grumpy and rude torture expert put in charge of the Omega Level. Alien races ; Aesiri (aka Viking gods) : Norse deities such as Loki and Odin are Aesiri aliens. The Aesiri come from a gravity-heavy planet, and as a result their bodies can withstand much more punishment than any other species. The Aesiri are notoriously sadistic, enjoying causing both physical and psychological torture. While the Aesiri cannot shapeshift, they can project mental holograms into the minds of others, and seemingly take others’ forms. Currently, two Aesiri are being held in the Alliance maximum security containment facility in the Bikini Atoll. ; Banshee : A race of teleporters who live in harmony with the Earth, but are poisoned by humanity’s growing dependence on electronics. Banshee can predict when someone will die, and can fire energy bursts or fly. They are most well known for their ability to produce piercing shrieks. They also have lifespans ranging for hundreds or thousands of years, and have been on Earth since they landed in Ireland around 527 BC. This race is in constant warfare with the Vampire Empire, which is fundamentally their ideological opposite - draining life and using technology. One interesting trait is that a banshee can initiate a deep mind probe into another person to retrieve lost memories. However, such a process will form a permanent bond between their life forces. This can be considered as the banshee version of marriage. Sh'lainn and Nick form this bond in order for him to regain his lost memories. As evidenced in one episode, a Banshee who spends too much time around technology contracts a sickness known as the "Iron Death", which causes her to go wild as she transforms technology into organic material and directs it against others. Though initially deemed incurable by Mab, her daughter later reveals that an Ur stone can counter this sickness. A Banshee is also weakened when in space, due to her power being drawn from the Earth. The race is tied to the Tree of Light in their hidden lair, and its destruction would also bring about the deaths of every Banshee. ; Cerberus: A three headed parahound that can track a target anywhere in the world. The Minotauri use Cereberus to hunt their prey. ; Conduit : The Conduit is a confederation of members from many different alien races. Its main purpose is to safely move aliens throughout the planet and relocate survivors of the inter-species wars. Colonel Walter Logan was an influential force in negotiations with the Conduit, until he apparently set off a bomb at a Conduit safehouse, killing dozens of aliens. The Conduit is considered an enemy of the Global Alliance. It is eventually revealed that the bombing of the safehouse was caused by a Shadoen agent posing as Walter, as an attempt to destabilize relations between the Alliance and the aliens. ; Cyclops : Mechanical giants constructed by the Titani, and sent to Earth to protect the planet from the Shadoens. The Cyclops successfully defended the planet in the 15th century BC, but wiped out the Aegean civilization (the most prosperous human culture at the time aka Atlantis) in the process. ; Golem : Creatures of living stone. The Conduit alien resistance is led by a Golem. ; Lycanthrope (aka Werewolves) : Sentient, humanoid wolves that have the biological ability to change their appearance into human form. The Lyncathrope used one of two EMP charges to reverse the magnetic polarity of the Yeti homeworld. They are the slave masters of both the Sasquatch and the Yeti. Lyncathrope have an eight year life span, and because of this they grow at an incredibly accelerated rate compared to humans. They are very close to their father or paternal figure treating to look like him when they are growing. ; Minotauri (aka Minotaur) : Armored warriors with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Apparently, one of these is the Minotaur of Greek legend. The Minotauri lost a war with the Banshee, and as a result, all of the surviving Minotauri were frozen in stasis. ; Oni : In their natural form, they are regarded by the Japanese as demons. Oni have biological shapeshifting abilities, and the majority of the Oni race play a large part in Japanese organized crime. Most Yakuza operations are directed by the Oni. ; Pan : A race of green-furred anthropomorphic goats. Unlike their legendary counterparts, female pans exist and the race is not as hedonistic as in Greek myths, such as engaging in marriage. ; Sasquatch : A race similar to the Yeti, although they dislike the cold climates the Yeti find comfortable. The Sasquatch were slaves along with the Yeti, but were regarded as inferior by them. During an escape attempt from the Lyncathrope slave ships, almost all of the Sasquatch were massacred. They are believed to be extinct after Su-Ak commits suicide. ; Shadoen : The Shadoen Multitude is a highly advanced hostile species that devote themselves to the enslavement and/or destruction of other races. They attempted to conquer Earth during the 15th century but their fleet was repulsed by a long range weapon sent to Earth by the Titani. Contrary to races such as the Lycanthropes - who have an innate mimetic system - or the Vampires - who use holographic technology - the Shadoen are not shapeshifters. In order to acquire the target race appearance, the Shadoen imprint their DNA and memories on a human clone, in so becoming an exact replica of the victim (which is also why Logan's eyes can't detect them). After the assimilation, the Shadoen can not freely morph to its former original shape, having to maintain the target guise or forfeit it by triggering a Shadoen DNA bomb. Once activated, the DNA bomb restores the agent to its full fledged Shadoen form, permanently destroying the previous target guise in the process. This ability has permitted the Shadoen to successfully infiltrate human race. The Shadoen are by far more powerful and resilient than the other alien races seen on the show; they also possess a mild ability of regeneration, and their blood has a poisonous effect if ingested, as witnessed in Episode 10 - Chupacabra. Another fact, revealed in that same episode is that the Shadoen Multitude has an aversion to oxygen, which is one of the reasons why they intend to level the Earth's forests. Their second invasion is thwarted by the efforts of the new alien-human Alliance. First appearance: Episode 14 - The Conduit (Part 2). ; Siren : Blue female creatures with red eyes. Her song is hypnotic. ; Fusion Breed : Not an alien race per se, but a hybrid created by crossing Shadoen DNA with earthling ants. By using ants as the subject of the experience, a large number of hybrids could be born by means of the ant queen, though most of them were wiped out by Logan on Episode 8 - Fusion Breed. However, they were not completely obliterated and a few eggs were used to recreate the experiment, as seen further in the show. ; Titani (aka Titans) : A peaceful race, which constructed the Cyclops and sent them to protect Earth from the Shadoen Multitude. Seen on Episode 28 - When Giants Walked the Earth. ; Vampire : The Dark Empire of the vampires is broken into families, each acting with a certain level of autonomy. True to legend, vampires can be killed by direct exposure to sunlight. However, wooden stakes do no more harm to a vampire than to anyone else. The Vampires are mainly a technological race, which doesn't have any regard for nature, often clashing with the Banshees. The Vampires also have a tendency to use the Banshees as "batteries" for their machinery. Several major vampire families, headed by Hanek, created the multi-national corporation Intracom, which they use to fund their wars against the Banshee and the Alliance. Vampires possess basic shapeshifting technology permitting them to change their appearance into human form. A vampire's real form is a large, yellow snake with arms, and a round, human-like, hooded head. Vampires possess a venom that allow them to enslave other races for short periods. ; Vodun (aka Zombies) : Slug-like parasites that can only live within the bodies of the dead. Vodun hosts are able to see in the dark and regenerate flesh. Vodun have been on this planet for approximately three hundred years. When the Vodun try to possess a living person, the two minds merge and drive each other insane, rendering the host and Vodun useless. Alliance Detection teams report that the Vodun may be trying to create the technology needed for their race to inhabit living beings. ; Yeti : Often referred to as an “abominable snowman”, the Yeti live high in the mountains of the Himalayas. The Lyncathrope destroyed the magnetic polarity of the planet, and took them as slaves. When the Lycanthrope neared Earth, the Yeti overpowered their captors and escaped. Agent Ti-yet is a member of the Yeti race, and his status in the Alliance is necessary due only to the knowledge he has of a Lycanthrope secret weapon. Episodes Credits Co-created by Kaaren Lee Brown, the show's pilot episode and bible were written by Bob Forward and Greg Johnston, Story Editors. Some sources say it was set up to be shown as either 20 one hour long episodes or for each episode to be split in half to equal 40 thirty minute episodes. Aside from a few dual part episodes, however, the storytelling reads better as 40 separate episodes. There was a production budget from Bohbot of U.S.; $500,000 per episode with a blend of cel animation and special effects at Epoch Ink in Santa Monica, California, with the talents of Joe Pearson Tom Tataranowitz, Chuck Patten, Brad Coombs, Young Yoon, Harry Warner Rick Ungar, Brad Rader and Gregg Davidson. Stephanie Graziano produced. Media availability Digiview Entertainment and BKN Home Entertainment have shown interest in publishing the animated series to DVD. See Links for Amazon.com page. Digiview Entertainment's releases are found in thin-cases and have been found at Wal-Mart for as low as a dollar a DVD. The releases are titled Bounty Wars and The Bait. The next two volumes are titled Conduit and Countdown, and are supposedly available. A fifth volume, titled Area 51 was released. Plans for a DVD box set, set for July 30, 2007, came and went, with its availability unknown due to problems with retailer support. In early 2010, Target carried a $5 box set with episodes 1-20. DVD Episodes The Bait The Bait - Part I, The Bait - Part II, Mountain Retreat, Troubled Past, Peacemaker Bounty Wars Snowman's Chance, The Roswell Incident, Fusion Breed, Bounty Wars, Chupacabra Countdown Countdown, The Vodun Uprising, The Conduit - Part I, The Conduit - Part II, Queen of the Banshee Queen of the Banshee - Part I, Queen of the Banshee - Part II, The Cub, Flying Saucer Down, The Last Sasquatch Area 51 Amok Vampire, Area 51, Showdown - Part I, Showdown - Part II Other media Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends was later adapted into a video game for PlayStation and Game Boy Color on July 13, 2001, just one year after the series had finished its run on June 2, 2000. The Game Boy Color adaptation was developed by Wicked Witch Software and gives players control of Nick Logan. The game is said to deliver ongoing suspense as any passerby could possibly be an alien. The game has five locations to explore and has ten levels, seven driving games and five Boss Battles . References External links * BKN Kids Roswell Conspiracies Page * *Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens Myths and Legends - Game Walkthrough *RLJ's BKN Fan Page *Discussion at Fireflyfans.net *BKN DVD Release #1 *Opening Credits on Youtube * Epoch Ink Animation Series Article * Wicked Witch official site Category:1990s American animated television series Category:2000s American animated television series Category:2000 American television series endings Category:American science fiction television series Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Category:Fox Kids fr:Roswell, la conspiration it:Roswell Conspiracies